This month I am privileged to again be participating in Unsung Heroes. My team (Team Deeper) did this back in Thailand and had a wonderful experience. This month my team (Team Chasing Jubilee) is here in Botswana doing the same.
An unsung hero is: men and women who are dedicated to serving some of the most impoverished populations in the world, yet rarely receive recognition for their dedication and service. These givers may also live with meager conditions but give consistently from an abundance of God’s love. Their names may not be in history books, their acts unknown to the rest of the world, while unrecognized, they shake a generation and move a culture, and ultimately build the Kingdom.
This month so far we have spent a lot of time in prayer asking God to show us where to go, whom to meet, and what to do. Ministry is completely up to us and what the Lord shows us. Our goal is to find people who are building the Kingdom, and see if they would be a good fit to host future AIM teams and programs. Our goal is to find these Unsung Heroes; I am always so pleased to meet these heroes around the world who are serving the Lord and serving His people. I am blogging today to tell you about a certain Unsung Hero I have met, or rather a family of them.
These Unsung Heroes I met go by the surname: Taviano. I met Gabe and Marla Taviano back in Cambodia, month 8. They have three beautiful daughters: Olivia, Ava, and Nina. Their family page can be found here: www.taviano.com. (Insert shameless plug here-You can make a donation towards them if you feel led.)
Gabe is a photographer, check out some of his work here: http://1PhotoPerDay.com or his funny Instagram @gabetaviano, or his website www.gabetaviano.com.
Marla is an author and writer. She has written several books and she shares her raw and honest thoughts frequently on her blog here: www.marlataviano.com.
Together with their family they are a few steps into this new season in their life being missionaries in Cambodia.
I had the honor of hanging out with this family a few times in Phnom Penh, usually over food like Mike’s Burgers and Brooklyn Pizza. I heard their story, basically God said, “Go.” There are many other beautiful details I don’t have space or time to share on here. The ringer in their story is their confident faith. There only direction was to Cambodia. They didn’t exactly know the what, they didn’t exactly know the why, other than ‘because God said so’, but that is all that mattered.
Because God said so…
Leaving the home you’ve known for years and diving head first into an ocean of cultural differences isn’t easy. I was so impressed with this family, not because of their perfection but because they are imperfect. But that is okay because so is everyone else. They know this, and they were willing to share their struggles with me. They opened up their home to me. In simple gestures they poured out blessing after encouragement after blessing to me while I was there. They give consistently to others out of an abundance of God’s love in their lives. They choose God every day in the midst of all the uncertainty and hardships and joys and laughter and adventure, and outrageously hot weather.
The Taviano family is awesome and I want people to know that. I want to connect people with them. We are all one big Family in the name of Jesus. I have discovered that God’s Church is HUGE. His Church is spreading to the ends of the Earth and doing a lot of cool stuff in spite of my efforts and thankfully in me and through me as well. Technology has paved new ways for the world to connect. As Christians we have a grand opportunity to make the most of that: to stay connected, add more links to the chains, and encourage each other by the click of a button. In the words of the High School Musical cast, “We’re All in This Together.” (That movie is almost ten years old by the way. You’re welcome for that aging tidbit of info.)
Cheers to you Taviano family. I applaud your courage and your endurance. I envy your Spirit and faith. I beseech God to give you strength and joy everyday. I implore my readers to consider partnering with you so that you can continue the work you have just begun over yonder in Cambodia. Again if you, my readers, feel led to give or would like to monthly donate check out the Taviano’s page: www.taviano.com.
“May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; May the Lord life up His countenance on you; and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
That’s all for now folks.
